William vogkel



T @FFTQE.

SHOE-BUTTONER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June :rz, ram.

Application filed September 27, 1913. Serial No. 792,083.

f0 all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, WILLIAM VOGEL, a

citizen of the United States, and a residentof No. 558 West 151st street, in the borough of Manhattan, county, city, and State of New York, and whose post-oflice address is No. 82 Nassau street, in the said borough of Manhattan, county, city, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements for Shoe-Buttoners, set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to means for but toning shoes. An object of the invention is to provide for the manipulation of a shoe buttoner in a manner so as to preserve the button-hole; to cause the button to be entered into the button-hole with convenience and despatch; and to make possible a quick buttoning action without a tendency to twist off the buttons or discommode the wearer. To the above ends there is contemplated within the invention the employment of a button-claw formed on a specially shaped lever, a portion of which operates as a cam with the button-hole as a cam follower and with an entire elimination of the usual 1'0- tary motion in shoe buttoning associated with the use of a button-hook. Further objects of the invention include novel structural embodiments and combination of various elements through the medium of the structural form.

The above will be pointed out more in detail in the following claim which should be read in connection with the illustrative embodiment of the invention described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings which form a part of this application, in which like characters designate corresponding parts, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device; Fig. 2 is a section through line IIII of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section corresponding to Fig. 2 and also includinga section through a shoe-upper and showing a method of employing the shoe-buttoner; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view through line IV-IV of Fig. 3.

The body portion 1 of the shoe-buttoner is formed spoon-shaped into the proper formation to serve the function of a shoe-horn and advantage is taken of the well known concavo-convex formation of a shoe-horn to provide a stiff unyielding shank 2 by stamping a continuation of the metal of the body portion 1 into the formation of a channeliron so that extreme stifi'ness with a minimum amount of metal is provided. This shank 2 toward its lower portion is bent longitudinally into a curved formation formmg the cam portion 3. Below the cam portion 3 the sheet metal is stamped outwardly to form the heel 6, from which the metal continues to extend outwardly in two lips 4.- and 5 each of a concavoconvex cross-section to form a powerful unyielding claw C.

It is preferable that the size of the claw C be in width as well as in length approximately the size of the underside of an average shoe-button 8 such as that shown at tached to the shoe-upper 7. i

Fig. 3 shows the method of employing the shoe-buttoner. The claw C is thrust through the button-hole 9 and the claw C is gripped under the button 8. A downward pressure on the body portion 1 causes the shank 2 to act as a lever and the cam portion 3 cooperating with the outer edge of the buttonhole 9 multiplies the power of the operators hands and conveniently draws the two margins 10 and 11 of the shoe-upper together a sufficient amount to make the button 8 aline with the button-hole 9. At the same time the cross sectional formation of the cam 3 holds the button-hole open the proper amount to facilitate the entrance of the button 8 and by presenting a comparatively broadcurved surface to the outer edge of the button-hole prevents injury to the same. With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3 a slight jerk on the shoe-button causes the button 8 to jump into the button-hole 9 and at the same time causes the claw G to disengage the button.

What is claimed and what is desired to be secured by the United-States Letters Patent is:

As an article of manufacture, a combined shoe-buttoner and shoe-horn consisting of a single sheet metal stamping and comprising a wide body portion of curved cross section; an elongated shank of channel-iron cross section with its concavity on the same side of but of shorter radius of curvature than nal curvatures of the body portion and the shank being such that the body portion blends gradually into the shank portion and of said shank causes it to act as a lever, to

cam the shoe margins together and snap the' shoe button through the button hole.

In Witness whereof, I have signed my name to: this specification, in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM VOGEL.

Witnesses Hnnny SOHWED, HENRIETTA ZWERIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D, G. 

